Practicing Multimodality

As much as I hate to admit this, this week is the first time since the beginning of the semester that I have looked at anyone else’s blog. Once I started reading my classmates’ blogs though, I couldn’t stop. Also, I was really impressed by the different ways everyone made their blogs multimodal. In a way I feel a little bit like a hypocrite, because as much as I agree with the move to multimodality, and, even though, I openly expressed my new-found comfort with technology, I almost dreaded putting it into practice with my own blog. I thought that the blog in and of itself was enough to prove I was technological savvy; however, after seeing my friends’ pictures, videos and links, I realized that I did, indeed, need to spruce up my own blog.

I agree with Billy that the “what if” personal narrative essay offers an interesting option to the photo essay. I also had several photo essays about graduation or a beloved deceased grandparent. Some of the essays managed to be original even with a common topic, yet I think by giving the students more room for creativity, there photo essays will be even more interesting to them and to their audience. I found a website with an article on how and why to include multimodality in a first-year composition personal narrative. It reinforced not only what Billy was suggesting what, I think, we are striving to do in our program: Article about infusing multimodality elements in the personal narrative.

I feel like I have to comment on Heather P.’s blog especially, since a lot of her thoughts were in response to what I wrote last week. I completely agree with Heather that the efforts to go multimodal in the classroom should be interdisciplinary and not just the responsibility of composition instructors. Nevertheless, I believe we are the ones who should get this party started, so to speak, and hope that the other departments follow suit. Heather begs the question, “Should we keep putting all the weight, and all the blame, on comp teachers?” And I concur with her implied, “No, we should not.” Yet, we can play the pass-the-buck and share-the-responsibility games all day long, and our students will continue to suffer. Yes, we are under-paid and over-worked, but so are all teachers and most anyone in a service profession. Gradual implementation is the way to start. According to the article “Thinking about Multimodality,” instructors can begin by offering a multimodal option to one assignment. Major reconstruction is not necessary in order for students to feel like what they are learning in their composition courses is relevant to the types of technologies they use in their free time and careers.

Below is a link to a video, which provides an interesting alternative for the photo essay.

Link to a video which offers another interesting adaptation to the photo essay.